Method and apparatus for the production of fibers, in particular glass fibers



Feb. 14, 1950 1. PEYCHES 2,497,369

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION 0F FIBERS, IN PARTICULAR cuss FIBERS Filed Sept. 21, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ivan Pe yeli ea Feb. 14, 1950 1. PEYCHES 2,497,369

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FIBERS, IN PARTICULAR GLASS FIBERS Filed Sept. 21, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. IVAN PEYCHE'S ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 14, 1950 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR}- -'-IHE=' 'PRCT- DUGTION F" FIBERS, -IN- {PARTICULAR GLASS 3 FIBERS Ivan leyches, Paris, .Erance,.. assignor to .So'eiete 1 Anonyme, dcs Manufac turers ides Glaces "e't Produitschimiques de Saint-.GobainfQChauny & cireg-larisyFrance Amil ication septembcr 21,

InFrance. August, .19, '1943.-

Section'LgPublidLaw semenust s grsgs- PatentexpiresAugust 19;-'1963 9 claims} (on.

Owing to. thexicentrifugalforcerproduced by the roi 10.

tationsof the-ho1lomhodygthe iviscous material is extrudedmout of .i the epenings Jain the" formof e streams which :.due::.to :thei-frelativesmovementxof thecrotating' .bodmin respect to the :ambienttmew diunrin ;which; they :are moving: are "drawn into v fibreskf: r I v The fineness-;:0f --.the :fibres: obtained fWithfSllCh-if a process is firstlyqia function:ofi;the:,diameter=.of thestream issuing-;from the-openingzoftherrotate i= ingloody-iand.- secondly dependsafrQmithetdrawing':20 undergone by said stream after-it-hasdssuedirom the orificew; I

In. view of producing :very fine fibres,--.the-process a'ccording-tomy :inventionrconsistsfiin:

Givingvto the materialysuch; as-sg1ass; beforew'it issues from the :rotating-fbodma lows-temperature? which; whileaenabling the: glasslito :be-a extruded from the openings of the ,rotatingsbody under.the action :Qfzt'hB centrifugal forces-is not-suificiently highgto enable the g'lass ato --.be:drawn into fibres as'soon as it issues from'the-openingsg 1:,

Raising therztemperature ;of the}. glass stream aften it has issued from the: opening; in iorderzto' brings the-g1 asseto; a temperature wsufficient-fortits rawin v v s Limitingrsuchra reeheatingt tofa short cpath'rof thelstrea-mzandafterwards letting saidrstneameool in the ambientsmediumt; .l

I ascertained si-n the'r-coursev-ofemyg experiments??? aboutthisrsubject-matter,=-that;the attenuation oil. 40 therstream issuingzfromthe-mtatinga-body,is comparatively small-iwhenesuchrstream has arelative- 1y large; diameter Rand is at -a high "temperature; Inasuch. a case, the glasses .-.pr,actica1ly.not a-hindered from:issuingsfromathelorificegiandit is pro- :46 jected out of the irotating-hody-eataa speed equal M to or. :a little lowen-than the speed eorrespondingto thee antiona 10f the,:centrifugal force: when .;the latter is acting treely-. Moreoven the glass there-2 after keeps 4a comparatively high temperature -50 during a ratherelongepath. :As-.a result, the suc--* cessive-elements of the-glassstream flowing from '2 the openingiofz-ithe;rotatingsebody;. rnoye along :a trajectory, path;fwhieh -iofaeach element,1 is the tangent: to'the'. circle described-by; thempeninaz ate:

Point:whereithefnonsidered-=elementwleftrthezs opening:

In lthezaccompanyingidrawings, .in :which con: spending: pants are :designated .byacorrespondingzi:

marks of reference;i-

Fi uresnl, ,2 and 3.:are.diagramsillustrating $1181"; iprinciples on-which thisinventionis based. r

Figure 4 is avertica'l ,eetion-z'of anapDa-ratus-u embodyingrthis-inventiima'anduz Figurezfi is a horizpntali'zseetionion,linessX+Y ofFig-ure l.

Figure, 6 illustratesza tor-m1 of vmyeinvention in whichrthe; centrifuges-sis ;fed;f1rQmtbe1ow.--= A Fi ofam n-a co panying;d awin s shows-w that; inrthis oaseethedssuingspeed-of anrielement a is such that, after having issued such elemen moves. a10n thes an entfll f i s artin np int. sucnatrai c ry q iz h ass: s ream elementsxto 11: which -belongs-.a (represented-in {Qlfibl at the:time; t1 and in aa b2 at h imevtz); may be obtained: only-iii eachelementris submittedtothe action oi the-{single centrifugal-force; ,--,-Such condition fulfilledewl'ieni as in the consideredcase; the glass stream is eonstitutech hy; :sufiiciently 5 fluid; glass- Thus the elements; of gzhe glass stream -forii-n stanee- --.az,:.-bz);;are practical-1y: riot driven along by therevol-ution of the; rotating-body andgeonse- 1-,- j quently: they"; exert o-importanttractionxaat thes opening; Ingthatmase r-thez-drawingwaction corresponds only to;;the elongationnof the: glass stream i;n;-.;the Q0ursei Qf cits. :displacement; (a1b1 haVin i s ance :-b come, @21 2 nd not to a tractioma tion exerted by he-wh le .of :the'stre m::.-Y on lther-glas l, issuing 17 mm" the; opening;

O t-the "s uth rn-W n-id creasingthe d ameters; of ithe open-mankind -feesingr gl s :l'vess hots-from o a inghodyiexperienee shows thatlthe lass stream '-.e2 r ,:.on:the1 1 s h eh is ;at;-t e op ner. ingn-a more; fflfldflfllfllfl; important traction; effortq' r Asia factaundemthose;conditionsthe-issuance of: the glass "51S slaqkened as: the;opening;- is smaller 1' or -:the;lglass lessaplastic; ;Moreover the glass: stream; ein-gy. from itsiixorigin; rather Cold? and: having-r smaller diameter coolsimore rapidlyr; thanrin the preceding i eese; 1 As a result,;; :the;; stream issues @from the 5 orifice: atya, lower speeds:

than when thelwcen if-iiga-l force: is 'acting with-z out any eonstxzai-nt v Referring to concerning thei-casepwhere the glass; flowlthroughitheorifice is slackenedriti: will xbceseexl-thaQ UhQzflfiSs-zstrfifitln :has necessarily; a smaller length than in the case represented7on i -ell w ere suchzflowi s not'hillflelie -u he ttrai e ir f' a ass. e ement:a,-instea 3 curve C comprised between the periphery of the revolving body and the tangent T. In other words, the elements of the stream, after having issued from the orifice, are not entirely free from the influence of the revolving movement of the rotating body and the stream consequently is submitted to a driving effect. As the ambient air has a tendency to hinder the stream elements from participating in the revolving movement of the rotating body, each element of the stream exerts a traction effort on the portion of said stream issuing from the opening. Such traction force is particularly important as the friction effect exerted by the ambient air on each element is transmitted up to said opening, because the glass stream connecting said element with the opening iscomposed of a comparatively cool, i. e. stiff glass.

However I ascertained that when and as the diameter of the opening and the glass temperature are only decreased'in order to increase such traction effort, the improvement of the fibre fineness which was expected from the increase of such traction effort is not at all obtained.

This may be explained by the fact that if such conditions increase the traction effort, they tend on the other hand to decrease the glass ability to be drawn, i. e. made thinner. In other words, when the glass is at aitemperature suitable to obtain a good traction effort, such temperature is too low for the glass to be conveniently drawn.

The mere control of the glass temperature in the rotating body or the decrease of the openings through which the glass is extruded can consequently only give very limited results as to the obtention of fine fibres.

On-the contrary the obtention, according to my invention of a glass stream at different temperatures enables to reach remarkable results in the production of fine fibres.

According to my process the produced glass stream presents, from the opening of the rotating body, a first portion which is at a comparatively low temperature and consequently little fit to be drawn, then an intermediary portion which is at a higher temperature and consequently under conditions where the glass is fit for being efiicaciously drawn; such intermediary portion is followed by another portion of the glass stream which is at a lower temperature.

Figure 3 where, for the sake of clearness of the drawing, the diameter of the stream has been greatly increased, shows in m, i, and p the three zones of the stream corresponding to said difierent temperatures; in-is the portion of the glass, at a rather low temperature, issuing from the 4 of all, the portion p, at low temperature, will be as long as possible and consequently able to exert the greatest traction effort, and secondly the portion 2' submitted to the traction will have the smallest possible volume so that, under a considered traction efiort,-it will be subjected to the most important attenuation. In other words, the localization of the intermediary hot zone i enables to obtain the best attenuation of said portion.

As to portion m of the stream, i. e. the portion connecting the intermediary hot portion i with the outlet opening, the glass of said portion may be at a very low temperature, as the issuance of the glass results from the effect of the centrifugal force. In practice the invention may be carried out with glass at about 700 C. in the rotating body and consequently issuing from the revolving body, 12 is the next intermediary portion at a higher temperature and p is the next portion of the stream after 1'. Such 'portion 11 being constituted by cold glass, is consequently in the hereabove described favorable conditions, where a glass stream is fit to exert an important traction effort on its origin. The intermediary openingat a temperature near said value. In the next portion, i. e. in the intermediary hot portion 2', the glass'stream'may be brought to 900 'C. The low temperature of the glass issuing from the opening is made possible, as hereabove stated, by the help brought by the centrifugal force in the extrusion of the glass. Owing to this low temperature of the glass issuing from the opening, the reheated zone 1 may be brought to a temperature which, while being higher than that of the preceding zone, will nevertheless not be above the temperature at which the glass is in good conditions for being drawn. Such circumstances which are favorable for the drawing, would not be met if the glass in the rotating body and at its extrusion point were not at said very low temperature, of about 700 C. As a fact if the glass in the portion m just after issuing from the opening were at a higher temperature, the supplement of heat brought to zone 2 according to the invention, might bring said zone to a too high temperature and the traction effort exerted by the portion 10 might produce not the drawing of the zone 2' but a shearing of the glass of said zone.

Other characteristic features of the invention, as well as its advantages, will appear from the hereunder descriptiongiven as a mere example of a way of carrying out the invention.

In Figures 4 and 5, l is the rotating body in the shape of two oalottes united at their periphery forming, when rotating, a centrifuge. Extrusion openings 2 are provided in said periphery. 3-is the axis around which the centrifuge rotates. The glass is fed in the shape of balls, to the rotating body through the upper aperture 4 and falling on the shelf 4a is thrown by centrifugal force to the periphery of the centrifuge. Hot gases 6 are supplied through the inside of the driving shaft 1 of the centrifuging body. An annular burner 8 is placed outside the centrifuging body and co-axially with same, the flames -8 of said burner transversally crossing the horizontal plane .'cy of the trajectories followed by the glass issuing from the centrifuging body thus creating a hot annular zone therearound.

As the production is started with cold glass introduced into the hollow body to be heated, the glass in the centrifuging body may easily be prevented from being brought to a temperature higher than that at which it can begin, under the action of the centrifugal force, to be elxtruded through the openings. Thus the first of the characteristic features of my invention is obtained i. e. the temperature of the glass issuing from the openings is as low as possible.

Also, owing to the transversal position of the hot gases-9 in-respect to the trajectories l0 folheated zone in said glass streams is liniited w Thus tlie localization of thie -reheating af i a fie i e as Pr i l accordlng tothe-above described" characteristics of my invention't".

nc' of'fthe stream i Beyond said hot zone J L th e glass gets cold... whilebing. subjected tdafffiction fromf the ambient ff, Such frictionjfresulfis; in agtractibn effort exerted by the stream portion Hffon the part connecting it with the opening, i. e. namely on the intermediary portion while in the annular hot zone ll. As the glass stream in its totality passes through said annular zone II, it is subjected in its totality to the emphasized drawing effect obtained according to the invention.

The hot gases forming the hot zone H together with the gases escaping from the inside of the centrifuging body through the openings I2 constitute an upward column which affords the advantage of producing a driving action for the fibres in the space surrounding the centrifuging body, and of gathering said fibres into a vertically rising strand I3 which may be easily received for instance on a vertical cylinder placed on the same axis as the rotating body.

When instead of being very long i. e. able to be gathered into strands, the fibres ID are shorter, the above mentioned column of hot gases may be used for gathering the short fibres around a mandrel, thus directly constituting cylindrical elements composed of very fine fibres. The fibres may be received on a revolving cylinder with a horizontal axis placed above the centrifuging apparatus and eventually moved to-and-fro longitudinally. This is illustrated in Figure 6 in which a pipe I8 is located centrally in the hollow driving shaft 1, through which pipe glass balls fed from the holder I5 are blown upwardly into the centrifuge by the air jet I6. This figure also shows a horizontal roller 20 located above the centrifuge to receive the fibres as well as a driving pulley I9 on the shaft 1.

The obtained cylindrical elements are Particularly fit for insulation purposes. Such process also enables to obtain webs having a great surface and a small thickness, which may in some cases be used instead of ordinary fabrics. For spreading the web on the surface of the cylinder on which the fibres are received, a suction may be created in the cylinder which is itself provided with borings. Any known method for sizing or coating the fibres may be used.

In a general way, in respect of the feeding of viscous material to the hollow body, it is possible, according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, to introduce such materials in the form of cold or at least stiff balls, brought upward into the hollow body through a tube inside the driving shaft 1, the balls being thrown upward into the hollow body, for instance by means of a catapult. Such method has the advantage that the top of the centrifuging body is free from any mechanical device and consequently the fibres may be easily gathered above said body.

It must be understood that my invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, but that it may be carried out by any device enabling to use the hereabove defined process.

What I claim is:

1. The hereinbefore described process of producing vitreous fibres which comprises extruding the material by centrifugal force from a centrirug a ea "relatively "10w temperature. "ices-11y the extruded material to' atemperature higher than that at which it wasextrud'ediwhile raising subjecting it to traction by the centrifuge and cooling the-attenuated fibres thereby produced.

2. The hereinbefore described process of producing vitreousznbres-;whicnicomp s rud n the material by centrifugal force from a centrifuge at a: relatively low' temperature, locally raising. the extruded material for. a: limitedportionof its length to a temperature higher than that at which it was extruded while subjecting it to traction by the centrifuge and cooling the attenuated fibre thereby produced.

3. The hereinbefore described process of producing vitreous fibres which comprises extruding the vitreous material by centrifugal force from a centrifuge at a relatively low temperature, locally heating the extruded material at a point remote from that of is extrusion to a temperature higher than that at which it was extruded while subjecting it to traction from the centrifuge and cooling the thus attenuated fibres.

4. The hereinbefore described process of producing vitreous fibres which comprises extruding glass from a revolving centrifuge while at a temperature of about 700 C., locally raising the extruded material to a temperature of about 900 C. while subjecting it to traction from the centrifuge and cooling the attenuated fibre thus produced.

5. A device for the production of fibres from vitreous material comprising a centrifuge for containing the said material and having peripheral openings therein, means for heating the material in the centrifuge and means surrounding the centrifuge to locally heat the issued material to a temperature greater than that which issued from the centrifuge.

6. In combination with a device for the production of fibres from a vitreous material, a centrifuge having .peripheral openings therein for containing the said material, means for heating the material in the centrifuge and an annular burner surrounding the centrifuge to heat the issuing material through a limited zone remote from the centrifuge, the burners being directed normally to the plane of issue of the material.

7. In combination with a device for the production of fibres from a vitreous material, a centrifuge having peripheral openings therein for containing the said material, a hollow shaft carrying the said centrifuge and feeding combustible material thereto, a series of burners surrounding the centrifuge to heat the issuing material through a limited zone remote from its point of issuance, the burners being directed normally to the plane of issue of the material.

8. In combination with a device for the production of fibres from a vitreous material, a centrifuge having peripheral openings therein for containing the said material, a hollow shaft carrying the said centrifuge and feeding combustible material thereto, an annular burner surrounding the said centrifuge and projecting the flames upwardly and across the plane of projection of the said material from the centrifuge.

9. The hereinbefore described process of producing vitreous fibres which comprises extruding the material by centrifugal force from a centrifuge at a temperature sufficient for its extrusion but not sufficiently high to enable its attenuation into fibres, raising the extruded material to a. temperature sufficient for the drawing of the material while subjecting it to traction from the centrifuge and then cooling the attenuated fibres thereby produced. Number 2,152,423 IVAN PEYCHES. 5 2,192,944

REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the 514,243 file of this patent: 10 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Von Reis- Mar. 28, 1939 Thomas Mar. 12, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Nov. 2, 1939 Germany Mar. 6, 1933 

6. IN COMBINATION WITH A DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FIBRES FROM A VITREOUS MATERIAL, A CENTRIFUGE HAVING PERPHERAL OPENINGS THEREIN FOR CONTAINING THE SAID MATERIAL, MEANS FOR HEATING THE MATERIAL IN THE CENTRIFUGE AND AN ANNULAR BURNER SURROUNDING THE CENTRIFUGE TO HEAT THE ISSUING MATERIAL THROUGH A LIMITED ZONE REMOTE 